Ragged Dick, Or, Street Life in New York with the Boot-Blacks eBook

“All right,” said Dick. “I’d
ought to help you. I haven’t got no mother
to look out for. I wish I had.”

There was a tinge of sadness in his tone, as he pronounced
the last four words; but Dick’s temperament
was sanguine, and he never gave way to unavailing
sadness. Accordingly he began to whistle as he
turned away, only adding, “I’ll see you
to-morrow, Tom.”

The three dollars which Dick had handed to Tom Wilkins
were his savings for the present week. It was
now Thursday afternoon. His rent, which amounted
to a dollar, he expected to save out of the earnings
of Friday and Saturday. In order to give Tom the
additional assistance he had promised, Dick would
be obliged to have recourse to his bank-savings.
He would not have ventured to trench upon it for any
other reason but this. But he felt that it would
be selfish to allow Tom and his mother to suffer when
he had it in his power to relieve them. But Dick
was destined to be surprised, and that in a disagreeable
manner, when he reached home.

CHAPTER XXI

DICK LOSES HIS BANK-BOOK

It was hinted at the close of the last chapter that
Dick was destined to be disagreeably surprised on
reaching home.

Having agreed to give further assistance to Tom Wilkins,
he was naturally led to go to the drawer where he
and Fosdick kept their bank-books. To his surprise
and uneasiness the drawer proved to be empty!

“Come here a minute, Fosdick,” he said.

“What’s the matter, Dick?”

“I can’t find my bank-book, nor yours
either. What’s ’come of them?”

“I took mine with me this morning, thinking
I might want to put in a little more money. I’ve
got it in my pocket, now.”

“But where’s mine?” asked Dick,
perplexed.

“I don’t know. I saw it in the drawer
when I took mine this morning.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, positive, for I looked into it to see
how much you had got.”

“Did you lock it again?” asked Dick.

“Yes; didn’t you have to unlock it just
now?”

“So I did,” said Dick. “But
it’s gone now. Somebody opened it with a
key that fitted the lock, and then locked it ag’in.”

“That must have been the way.”

“It’s rather hard on a feller,”
said Dick, who, for the first time since we became
acquainted with him, began to feel down-hearted.

“Don’t give it up, Dick. You haven’t
lost the money, only the bank-book.”

“Aint that the same thing?”

“No. You can go to the bank to-morrow morning,
as soon as it opens, and tell them you have lost the
book, and ask them not to pay the money to any one
except yourself.”

“So I can,” said Dick, brightening up.
“That is, if the thief hasn’t been to
the bank to-day.”

“If he has, they might detect him by his handwriting.”

“I’d like to get hold of the one that
stole it,” said Dick, indignantly. “I’d
give him a good lickin’.”